Should Yingzong of Ming Dynasty carry out the defeat of Tumubao? The command is short, and he underestimates the cavalry army of Wala

Editor's note: The fiasco of Emperor Yingzong of the Ming Empire in Tumubao is a hot topic of discussion in contemporary internet history circles. The most popular saying is that the 500,000 Ming army was defeated and wiped out by a mere 20,000 Sava army, and the Ming dynasty's military was ridiculed by many people. But is that the case?

▲Wala and Tartar

civil fort change, the so-called 20,000, only the troops of Wala headquarters. The Oara people are descendants of the "people in the forest" who were conquered by Mongolia in the Temujin era. Their blood line is closer to the Turkic line, and they are taller and taller than the average Mongolian. Their pastureland is close to the Western Regions and Central Asia, and they can obtain fine iron horses from the Inner Asia region. They have a large number of cavalry, and their individual combat power is stronger than the Tatars. However, the northwestern Mongolian plateau has sparse aquatic plants, so Wala has a small population. At its peak, the population was only a few hundred thousand, with more than 30,000 soldiers. It also used the discordance of the various ministries within the Tatar era to conquer the Tatars, and held the Tatar sweat so that the princes could command the entire Mongolian forces.

At that time, Wala, Tatar, and Uliangha Mongolia were collectively called "Duqin·Duerben" ①, which means 440,000 households, or about 2.2 million people. According to one household and one soldier, 440,000 troops can be dispatched. Of course, these 440,000 cannot be soldiers. A large part of them must be auxiliary soldiers. For example, in the era of Genghis Khan, the Mongolian national soldiers only had 150,000 soldiers. Taking into account that 25 years have passed since Zhu Di’s sweep of the Civil War, and Mongolia’s lost population has long been restored, we can think that the Mongols at this time have a population of more than 2 million, and full mobilization can dispatch 150,000 to 200,000 soldiers.

▲Mongolian hero also first stills

also has the same authority as Genghis Khan, and it is impossible to mobilize all Mongolian soldiers. And at the same time as the Tumu Fortress changed, the Tatar, who was also the first puppet, was sweating profusely and led ten thousand people to move in Liaodong, attacking Guangning and encumbering the Jurchen tribe. However, I have also made preparations for more than half a year, and the mobilization rate is bound to be considerable. Scholars have verified that he later took the lead in attacking Beijing with a strength of nearly 100,000. After the Tumu Fort won, many tribal soldiers dispersed after obtaining the spoils. Therefore, the total number of Mongolian troops in Tumu Fort should be more than 100,000. Among the more than 100,000 Mongolian troops, the Tatars have relatively weak combat effectiveness, but the Ovalliss have considerable combat effectiveness, well armored, and a high percentage of "iron cavalry." ② "Tong Biography of Du Yu Shi Luo Gong" mentioned that the wala cavalry can surround the camp at night, guarded by hounds, like an iron wall, which shows that it is a mounted cavalry with strong protection and impact capabilities.

▲Wala people used hounds to guard

Mongolian army approached Datong in July 1449. On July 11, Wu Hao, a right-hand member of the Ming Empire, led his troops in Maoerzhuang, and he was defeated and died. On the 15th, Datong Governor Song Ying, Du Ma Du Du Jing Yuan, Chief Military Officer Zhu Mian, Zuo Sen General Du Du Shi Heng Fourth Road led 40,000 troops to Yanghe. The Ming army was wiped out due to outnumbered troops in the Battle of Yanghe. A few people fled back hastily. At this time, Ming Yingzong in the imperial court knew that Yexian's army was so powerful that it was definitely not something the frontier army could handle. At that time, there were 220,000 battalions and squads in Beijing, of which about 140,000 soldiers and about 80,000 auxiliary soldiers. The number of soldiers was roughly the same as Yexian's troops.

If you consider that the Ming army has a wealth of experience against Mongolia, the empire is also far better than Mongolia in terms of financial resources. Although the Ming Yingzong’s military capabilities are very different from each other, it will not be complete if they choose to go out and fight first The army was annihilated. However, there was another problem at this time. As Luchuan leader Si Renfa tried to revive the ancestors' foundation and launched a rebellion, the Ming Empire's conquest of the Luchuan Kingdom in the south took nine years to end. (For details about Luchuan, please refer to the previous article of the Cold Weapon Research Institute "Taking half of Yunnan away, even more arrogant than Xixia! Exploring the Luchuan Kingdom that made the Yuan Empire a headache.") In 1448, the strongest general of the empire at that time, Wang Ji After the Battle of Luchuan, he led a large army to suppress the Miao Rebellion in Guizhou and Huguang in 1449.

▲ Luchuan has powerful elephants

Although most of the troops drawn in the southern expedition are from the south, a large number of equipment and weapons have been gathered in the south for a long time. The capital area is in the predicament of insufficient armor, and the military's combat effectiveness will undoubtedly be a question mark. If Ming YingzongTo be sensible, it is to keep the border guards firmly and gather troops from all over the country to gain the superiority in strength first. At the same time, replenish food and supplies, make decisions and then move. However, there is another problem. The Great Wall defense line north of Xuan Mansion and Datong was actually completed in Jiajing Dynasty. At this time, the two important towns of Xuanfu and Datong were empty in the north, and the surrounding castles were sparsely distributed, and the defense system was incomplete.

If the rescue is slow, and the two cities of Xuanfu and Datong outside Yanshan Mountain and Yanmen Mountain are lonely, they are likely to be captured by the Mongolian army. A large number of people in the empire will be swept by foreigners. This is the Mingyingzong who is proud of martial arts cannot accept it. of. Ming Yingzong resolutely calmed down Luchuan, and ordered the officials to deliberately create contradictions with the Miao people in order to change the land and return, obviously hoping to catch up with the great martial arts of Taizu and Chengzu. Therefore, under the situation of inadequate armaments and insufficient food and supplies, the face-loving Ming Yingzong only prepared for two days, and led the army to set off on the road to death...

① "Mongolian Origins": Tuohuan Taishi's son Esen ( That is also first)...Kill Mengkebai of Mengoljin in accordance with his father's last words. Today led the two tribes of Duqin Durban to march in Han. ② "Tong Yu Shi Luo Gong Chuan": The prisoners rely on iron cavalry, and the night ring is a camp, □□ rushes to the enemy, if I wait for the generals, most of them recruit guest soldiers, not enough. Drive sheep as a tiger? The cavalry must be defeated by tactics, and then the captives can be broken. "Everyone said: "Good. "The captives lie down, two horses are compared, and the two live together. One leather bag is placed on the horse, and the iron cavalry goes around. Each iron horse is accompanied by a dog, and there is a dog barking. This article is an original manuscript of the Cold Weapon Research Institute. The original profile of the editor-in-chief, and the author Can Xing Dian Xing, any media or public account shall not be reprinted without written authorization. Violators will be held legally responsible.